Fire destroys Newton apartment, leaves one dead

NEWTON -- An 83-year-old woman was found dead yesterday in a fire that gutted her apartment in Newton, police said.

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerFirefighters prepare to view the damage to an apartment complex in Newton with the aid ladder truck to try to determine the structural soundness of the building. The victim of the fatal fire is presumed to be the sole occupant of the apartment, Ursula Schiffner, 83, pending a positive identification by a medical examiner, said Newton Police Lt. Robert Osborn.
Police officers and firefighters found a second-story apartment on the front corner of one building engulfed in flames and smoke, Wechtler said. Authorities believe the fire originated in Schiffner's apartment, but the cause remains under investigation, Osborn said.
Schiffner was found dead in one of the bedrooms of her unit, he said.
The Red Cross is relocating evacuated residents to other apartment units within the complex.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and Fire Marshal and New Jersey State Police Arson Squad were on scene. The Newton, Lakeland, Lafayette and Hampton First Aid Squads and Blue Ridge Rescue Squad also responded.

The blaze was “an early wake up call” for residents of the complex, said Mark Tomasula, who lives in a building across from the one where the fire occurred. He said he was awakened by the sounds of police sirens blaring.

Tomasula, who is a brother of Newton Police Chief John Tomasula, said he heard a neighbor yelling to try to awaken residents of Building 2 and going door-to-door to alert them.

The elderly woman’s apartment “was the only one he couldn’t get into,” as she apparently had the door locked with a deadbolt, Mark Tomasula said. He said he then ran around to the front of the building and tried to climb up to a second-story balcony of her apartment, but the heat from the blaze was too intense.

“I felt the heat right away. Apparently the whole bedroom was fully involved. That’s the one she was in,” Mark Tomasula said. “There was nothing we could do.”

He described the victim as a “very sweet woman” who would always greet him by saying, 'I didn't get my hug.'"

The fire was mostly contained to apartment No. 30, though there was some damage to adjoining units, Wechtler said. The entire 16-unit building was evacuated and the Red Cross is assisting with sheltering residents, he said.

Constructed nearly 40 years ago, Landmark West has 11 buildings and 168 apartment units, Sliker said. None of the other buildings or residents were affected.

There were no other injuries, except for one firefighter who slipped on ice and suffered a minor hand injury, Wechtler said.